The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-04
DOCTOR MAX.
The Weird Story Of q Greek
Manuscript.

Manuscript.
Three months more of sight 1 leaned
forward in the big armchair-the only ar
ticle of absolute comfort in my poorly
furnished room-and looked steadily at
The yellow and brown squares on the wall
paper beyond my study table. They stood
out, angular and ugly, for moment. Then
the lamp light changed into reddish mist
that stung cmy eyeballs and made the
flame blur in its sickly center. The figures
on the wallpaper wavered, grew slightly
indistinct. then blended into neutral blot
and l knew was going blind.
Overwork, the drudging, mental toll that
feels upon the brain, had touched the
windows of my soul with its cold fingers,
and the white frost was quickly gathering
on the crystal panes. Three months more
of light! That was the limit the skilled
but kindly oculist had fixed. Three months
the border land of years Of darkness and
despair. For the first time l realized that
my life was a failure. l cursed the nights
of study that had won for me distinction in
my college classes; l cursed the pride of
my professor that had encouraged me to
the prodigal waste of my powers that he
might point to me as the best Greek and
Latin scholar of the decade; heaped re-
proaches on the ambition that had led me,
an underpaid village school-teacher, to
some day hope for distinction at the bar; /
thought and thought, as l stared into the
gray half-light, till all the subtle nerves of
my brain seemed to concentrate behind my
throbbing eyeballs. Then the pain was
lost in agony of mental torture so fierce
that reason seemed to tremble, and threw
myself upon the floor.
"You seem to be in trouble, Professor!"
Startled by the sound of a voice, 1 stag
gered to my feet and confronted the speaker.
Il knocked at your door, and not getting
an answer, / came in unannounced" My
visitor was DR.. Max.
did not reply. Besides, DR.. Max was a
man whose acquaintance l had never
sought. He had persistently held aloof
from me; avoided me purposely, thought.
He was tall and robust, with massive
head. His beard was full and black with a
rich gloss, indicative of fine health and
great vitality. He was of uncertain age;
past fifty should judge. He had re-
isded in NJ for five years, and in
that time had built up a large practice
among the lower classes in a section of the
town known as Dutch Bottom" For
some cause he was socially oBtracised.
Your eyes are troubling you,' DR.. Max
continued, not noticing my constraint. ''Sit
down" he SAID, and before could protest
ne had gently forced me into my chair and
turned my face to the lamp light. There
was aninstant's silence; then he said: "An
operation may save your sight, but it can
not be delayed.
A
desire for death fled, and the doctor from
''Dutch Bottom faded from view to give
place to messenger from Heaven in his
habiliments. was wild with sudden joy
The world of light would be mine; the blue
mountain and the golden grain fields of nv
home, my mothers face, my books, all
and broke into fit of hysterical laughter,
as grasped the Doctors hand and caressed
it.
'I have no money" 1 said, recollecting
myself, and for a moment tide of hope
lessness swept back and obliterated my
new born JOY.
''But have, and that is what brought
me here tonight" DR.. Max pushed the
HAIR back from my hot forehead with his
cool, moist hand and peered long and search
ingly into my aching eyes.
curing shocks of hope and fear, despair
and JOY, were too much for my sorely tried
nerves. A faintness was creeping over nv
heart, but l clutched the arms Of my chair
with a grip that forced the flesh on nv
palms into red ridges, from which the blood
seemed ready to start. and waited for my
strange visitor to proceed.
Like all mankind, am selfish" he said
presently, with quiet laugh. 81 will give
you the money with which to save your
sight-perhaps-but have a demand to
make"
go on" exclaimed, petulantly, as he
paused.
''Of course you are not aware of it, but
am a very poor Greek scholar; in fact, I
never was proficient in the language, even
my college days. l have in my possession
q Greek manuscript of fifty pages or so
that 1 picked up while travelling in the
East some years ago. / know nothing of
its History, save that it was said to have
been among the plunder obtained by Con-
stantine in the Temple at Delphos. 1t is
very valuable, and have never trusted it
out of my hands. / want a literal trans
lation Of it II you will undertake the work
will pay you $500"
''What!n Iyelled it, as leaned forward
on the edge Of my chair and searched his
face TO see if he were not in jest
''I viii give you ten dollars \ page" he
went on, quietly-"with restrictions"
What do you meant"
THAT you permit no person to see either
the manuscript or the translation, and that
under no circumstances viii you trust the
original out of your possession, or hereafter
reveal its contents"
accepted with indecorous haste, it is
needless to say, and DR.. Max left me prey
tCemotions that am utterly unable to de-
scribe. Long after midnight fell asleep,
but still behind my burning eyeballs my
brain was busy. A phantom troop swept
constantly in review. The letters of the
Greek alphabet took life and fought innu-
merabIe battles. For hours labored in q
vast library, piling up manuscripts xpon
miles OF unending shelves.
Then, in my troubled sleep. stupor